I have read many of the posts and understand that January is not the best time to look for a teaching position. I have about 4 months between my current job and my next adventure though, so I thought it might be worth a shot.

What kind of positions would be my best bets? I am a certified US teacher with 10 years experience in the classroom and also have my CELTA and a year in Korea. I know that the school year begins in May which is precisely when I need to leave.

Would it make sense to try public schools? Or would language schools be my best bet. I am not worried about the salary too much. I would just like to keep busy and see a bit of Thailand before heading back to the states.

Should I make my time frame known to potential employers or is it alright to give a couple of weeks notice? It seems from what I have read that things are a bit looser there than here in Korea regarding visas and changing jobs...

Join the rest of the back-packers down on Koh Sarn Road who are doing the same thing to extend their stay in the tropical sun.

By and large, schools won't want/need you since there are likely less than 30 instruction days left in the academic year by the time you start looking for work and their focus will be on prep for the year end exams and not a "conversation" teacher.

You may find part-time work in a language academy but it won't come with a visa or work permit attached (meaning you need a real tourist visa (60-day double entry) in your passport when you land and will need a border run at the mid point).

I guess my idea of looking for a short term teaching position is not realistic. I thought it might be possible to find something for January to May. I am going back to the US in May for my daughter's college graduation and then will begin at an international school in July. I guess I shall stick to my original plan and extend my contract here in Korea for a few months and visit Thailand for my December vacation.

Thailand is for professionals. You could actually muck up your plans for teaching in your future international school by coming and teaching here. Extending your teaching a few months in Korea sounds like a better thing to do. Your International school might want to know how your teaching in Thailand was. They might want to talk to someone from your Thai School, which I would not want period if I were you. They might want to know what you did for 4 months in the LOS (land of sin). And there's plenty of other things that could happen to you. Also teaching in Thailand can be very unpleasant, they have a completely different set of ethics. If things go bad, like with some people, you could be set back on money and not even make it to your job at your prospective future International School.

Then on the other hand you could fall in love with a Thai woman and end out being hired by a lower tier International School here in Thailand. I wouldn't recommend a Thai woman though. Thais are too different from any other group of people to realistically form any kind of a good relationship outside of you providing resources, unless you are lucky.